THE January transfer window is now CLOSED!
And Liverpool made some last-gasp moves to shore up their defence while letting striker Takumi Minamino join Southampton for the rest of the season.
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Stay up to date with the latest transfer news with our live blog below…
- Josh Graham
ARTFUL DODGER
Arsenal have managed to save a staggering £32.8MILLION per year by offloading a handful of big-earning flops in January.
During last month’s transfer window, Mikel Arteta focused primarily on trimming the fat on his mega-rich squad.
By flogging just FOUR of the club’s top earners, including £350,000-a-week Mesut Ozil, Arteta has shaved £32.8m off the annual wage bill.
Sead Kolasinac was loaned back to old club Schalke with a view to a permanent move in the summer.
Shkodran Mustafi left the Gunners for good and joined Kolasinac at struggling Schalke saving Arsenal £90,000 a week.
Sokratis moved to Olympiacos on a free and he was also collecting a healthy £90,000 a week for his services.
- Josh Graham
HAK ATTACK
Achraf Hakimi could be heading for the Premier league this summer with Chelsea reportedly interested.
The Moroccan full-back has excelled at Inter Milan under former Blues boss Antonio Conte but The Athletic reports Inter have failed to pay the first instalment of Hakimi’s transfer to Real Madrid.
The cash-strapped Italian giants could be forced to sell the 22-year-old who has a contract until 2025.
A move is likely to cost Prem clubs – with Arsenal having also monitored the player for years – around £40million.
- Josh Graham
NEYM GAME
Kylian Mbappe has described Neymar as the 'centre of the project' at Paris Saint-Germain.
The Frenchman claimed his team-mate is the 'best in the world' as he can do 'everything'.
Neymar has dropped his biggest hint yet that he will renew his contract with PSG rather than return to Barcelona.
Mbappe told France Football: "I've always thought that great players were made to play together – and that's clear between us two.
"Our roles were established when I arrived in Paris. Neymar is the centre of the project and I'm here to help him.
"[This is] because when I arrived at PSG, I was only an emerging star and I had to prove myself on the pitch."
- Josh Graham
ALLI OR NOTHING
Dele Alli reportedly faces a 'hugely uncertain' future at Tottenham after his loan move to Paris Saint-Germain collapsed.
The Spurs outcast had been tipped to spend the rest of the season on loan with former boss Mauricio Pochettino in France.
Daniel Levy blocked Dele Alli's move to PSG Jose Mourinho reportedly gave the out-of-favour 24-year-old permission to leave during the transfer window.
But Spurs blocked the move at the last minute as the club had not secured a replacement for Alli.
Pochettino was keen to bring the former MK Dons star to France in an attempt to revive his career.
According to the MailOnline, the England ace now faces an uncertain future in North London.
Alli has lost his spot in Tottenham's first-team under the management of Mourinho this season and has made just FOUR appearances in the Premier League during the 2020-21 campaign.
- Josh Graham
CHERRY PICKING
Rangers have completed the pre-contract signing of Bournemouth midfielder Nnamdi Ofoborh on a four-year deal.
The 21-year-old will spend the rest of this season on loan at Wycome Wanderers before arriving at Ibrox.
- Josh Graham
KEPT AT BAY
Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has revealed Chelsea and Liverpool are the two Premier League clubs interested in Dayot Upamecano.
The French defender, 22, is expected to leave RB Leipzig in the summer due to a £38million release clause in his contract.
Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Chelsea want RB Leipzig's Dayot UpamecanoCredit: Getty Images – Getty Upamecano’s agent confirmed two top English sides were among the clubs interested in signing him.
He did not name them – but Rummenigge let it slip as he confirmed Bayern will also be in the running.
He said: “The fact is that the player is interesting, and the fact is that we will almost certainly lose David Alaba at his position.
“The fact that Chelsea and Liverpool are also interested in him proves that he has very good qualities. He can replace David Alaba.”
- Josh Graham
STURR THE POT
Former Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City striker Daniel Sturridge could be heading to the MLS.
The England international is a free agent after leaving Turkish outfit Trabzonspor last summer.
The 31-year-old is not bound to the transfer window deadline as he is unattached and The Mail reports several clubs across the pond have shown interest.
He is understood to have rejected bumper pay days in Saudi Arabia and Egypt as he looks to find the right club, believing he can still cut it at the top level.
- sstreet
DEAL ME MIN
Southampton were linked with a host of deals on deadline day.
The likes of Josh King, Billy Gilmour and Ainsley Maitland-Niles were all at some point believed to be close to a move to St Mary's.
But it was Liverpool's Takumi Minamino who ultimately moved to the South Coast on loan.
- sstreet
ALL HAIL THE KING
Josh King is back in the Premier League after joining Everton.
The Bournemouth forward completes a loan move with an option to buy in the summer.
Fulham had reportedly been offering a transfer now, but the Norwegian ultimately opted to move North with Carlo Ancelotti reported to be the key factor.
- supal
GOOD MORNING FOOTY FANS
It wasn’t exactly a transfer deadline day for the ages, but it was still a slow burner with plenty going on to hold our attention through the day.
The busiest team yesterday were Liverpool with two centre-backs – Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies – bringing much needed reinforcements to their back line.
I say much needed, it became even more so after the club announced last night that Joel Matip is done for the season with ankle ligament damage.
Elsewhere, there were plenty of loan deals to write home about but not for Dele Alli.
The Spurs midfielder wasn’t able to get a move to PSG and a reunion with former boss Mauricio Pochettino over the line.
Arsenal continued their clear out with Joe Willock leaving for Newcastle on loan and Ainsley Maitland-Niles moving to West Brom on a loan deal.
There was no movement at either Chelsea or Manchester United to speak of.
And late into the night we had a couple of deals confirmed in the early hours (yes, they got those deal sheets in to the Premier League before 11pm).
Bournemouth’s Josh King agreed a move to Everton on a short-term deal, while Southampton moved late to bring in Takumi Minamino on loan from Liverpool.
How’s your club looking after deadline day? Let us know. Join the conversation.
- supal
DEADLINE DAY RECAP
Good morning to those just waking up. Here is a recap of what happened yesterday…
- Liverpool signed two centre-backs – Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies
- Dele Alli stayed at Tottenham despite interest from PSG
- Joe Willock (Newcastle) and Ainsley Maitland-Niles (West Brom) both left Arsenal on loan
- No movement at Chelsea or Manchester United
- Bournemouth's Josh King joined Everton in a deal announced at 1am
- Southampton signed Takumi Minamino on loan from Liverpool in a late swoop
EVERY LITTLE HELPS
MANCHESTER UNITED boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made sure to get his Deadline Day shopping fix, by nipping to his local Tesco.
The Red Devils have had a quiet month on the transfer front, only bringing in Amad Diallo from Atalanta.
So Solskjaer, 47, had little else to be doing today, rather than a regular, mundane task like popping to the shop.
Clad in full Man United tracksuit and customary mask, the Norwegian clutched a multi-pack of Pepsi Max as he made his way back to his Range Rover.
FER REAL
Rio Ferdinand revealed fans once turned up to his house wearing 'balaclavas and hoodies' demanding he signed a new Manchester United contract.
Ferdinand told his FIVE YouTube channel: "I was in my house one day and all of a sudden the bell rings.
"And someone put their hand over, so I couldn't see the actual camera, couldn't see who was on it.
"So I thought, 'Who's this cheeky rat? Let me go outside and have a row – whatever it is – don't take liberties coming to my house.'
"So I jumped on the wall next to my gate, looked over the gate and there's about ten, 15 people there – guys with balaclavas and hoodies on, all ballied up.
"I'm thinking, 'What, they've come to rob my house?' And then, luckily, one of them shouted, 'Just sign the contract!'"
ALL SAINTS
Southampton have completed a late deadline day swoop for Takumi Minamino.
The Japan international has joined from Liverpool on loan until the end of the season.
Both parties were keen to get a deal over the line after Saints made contact at the 11th hour.
The deal was announced just after 1am UK time.
And Minamino will now look to resurrect his Premier League career at St Mary’s.
NICE ONE, MAIT
Arsenal loaned out-of-favour Ainsley Maitland-Niles to Premier League strugglers West Brom.
The 23-year-old has started just five top-flight games this season and is desperate for first-team football.
He agreed a loan switch until the end of the season with West Brom just before the transfer window slammed shut as he helps plot their great escape.
- supal
RAISE THE BAAH
Manchester City starlet Kwadwo Baah is hungry like the Wilf as he looks to tear apart Premier League defences.
The 18-year-old forward, also courted by Bayern Munich, signed from Rochdale after a stellar start to life in League One.
He will join and summer and he will be doing somersaults over his move to the Etihad.
Baah struck his first goal for Dale against Wigan last year and celebrated acrobatically. He followed it up with two against Charlton last month.
He will spend the rest of the season on loan at Rochdale and join City in the summer.
Kwadwo Baah celebrated his first senior goal in styleCredit: Rex Features - supal
DEADLINE DAY RECAP
A bit quiet out there so time for a quick recap – here's the pick of the storylines from deadline day…
- Liverpool signed two centre-backs – Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies
- Dele Alli stayed at Tottenham despite interest from PSG
- Joe Willock (Newcastle) and Ainsley Maitland-Niles (West Brom) both left Arsenal on loan
- No movement at Chelsea or Manchester United
- Bournemouth's Josh King joined Everton in a deal announced at 1am
- Southampton signed Takumi Minamino on loan from Liverpool in a late swoop
TEST BOOST
Premier League Covid positives have finally dropped back to pre-Christmas levels in a further boost to football chiefs.
Last week’s 2,957 tests across the 20 Prem clubs brought just seven new positive cases.
That is slightly down from the eight recorded in the seven days up to January 24, although this time there were positive cases in both sampling rounds.
Four of the positives came in the first batch of tests, of 1,713 players and staff, between Monday and Thursday.
There were then three positives out of 1,244 samples between Friday and Sunday.
The seven positives is the lowest total since the week of December 20, when the same number was recorded from only 1,569 tests.
JAB STAND
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has insisted that footballers cannot be allowed to jump the Covid-19 jabs queue.
There have been calls for elite athletes to be moved up the priority list to ensure they can play inside secure bubbles.
But Infantino, speaking at an appearance at the World Health Organisation, dismissed that idea – but also pledged he expected full houses at the 2022 World Cup Finals.
Infantino said: "The priority for the vaccine is of course for the people at risk and health workers.
"That is very sure in our minds and we don't consider football players as a priority in this respect.
"Of course, in the months to come and in the context of international competition and travel, vaccination might be recommended at some point.
"The Olympic Games are only in the summer but this will happen respecting established order of distribution. The people at risk should have priority."
TRAVEL PROBLEMS
Prem clubs have been left up in the air over whether they will be forced to release players for next month’s World Cup qualifiers, Martin Lipton reports.
Last week’s new UK border rules mean that South American and Portuguese players will be forced to spend 10 days in strict hotel quarantine when they return to British soil.
SunSport revealed how it could deprive Liverpool of Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino for three games at the start of April.
And it would bring similar issues for Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani and Alex Telles and Ederson, Ruben Dias and Gabriel Jesus at Manchester City.
HURRY REDKNAPP
Harry Redknapp was in a hurry after he got LOST on his way to the Sky Sports studios in a hilarious transfer deadline day gaffe.
Redknapp was given an ovation as he finally joined Jim White on set, more than 40 minutes after he was supposed to following his ordeal to get from his Bournemouth home to West London.
Explaining the palaver, the former Spurs boss said: "I was on the M3, plenty of time and it's taken my three-and-a-quarter hours it took me from Bournemouth.
"I was going along lovely and then suddenly a sign flashed up saying 'accident J4 to J2'. Closed. Whatever.
"So I had to divert all the way back and Jim, I didn't have a clue. I've ended up coming up the M4, cutting across to Reading."
Asked if he has a sat nav, Redknapp added: "We do Jim but I have to be truthful, I've changed my car and I've not been anywhere since because we're in lockdown.
"I know my way here easy enough. I ain't got a clue how to work the sat nav. I can't work it. It's too complicated."
- supal
UP IN THE AIR
Dayot Upamecano's agent has confirmed the sought-after centre-back is deciding on his future with two top Premier League clubs vying for the RB Leipzig star.
Both Manchester United and Chelsea have been linked with the highly-rated 22-year-old but the Prem sides will face competition from Bayern Munich.
Upamecano has a contract until 2023 at the German side but the player's representative Volker Struth confirmed he has a £38million release clause, which is likely to be triggered this summer.
Struth told Sport1: "The release clause was agreed because the player decided to want to take the next step at some point. It is very likely in the summer.
"Nothing final has been decided yet. The tendency for him to leave the club in the summer is high.
- supal
DOUBLE MOVE
Deadline day is never over really, is it?
Thank god for those deal sheets to give us some late night drama and a bit of action into the early hours.
King and Minamino both done, that should be the end of the big business but we'll see.
- supal
BREAKING
Josh King is official too. Everton have announced his signing from Bournemouth.
King and Minamino were the two we were expecting confirmation of in the early hours, and that's exactly what we got.
- supal
BREAKING
Takumi Minamino has completed his loan move to Southampton on loan from Liverpool until the end of the season.
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